By Aris Barkas / barkas@eurohoops.net
The EuroCup has never been easy, but for years Spanish teams have proven their superiority time and time again. Dreamland Gran Canaria may be the defending champion, Spain’s eighth in 20 editions of the EuroCup, but there’s another club with a big legacy, big names on the roster, and the pride to get the job done on the road from the get-go.
That’s the path Joventut Badalona has to take to compete for this season’s trophy. Joventut won the EuroCup back in 2008. Since then, a lot changed, but not some facts about the Catalans.
The club remains one of the biggest talent production factories in Europe, with junior teams that have offered to the sport players like Ricky Rubio and Rudy Fernandez in the past.
In the last few years, it’s not only about homegrown talents, though. Anchored by veteran center Ante Tomic, arguably the best center in the EuroLeague at his peak, Joventut has a solid mix of old and new faces aiming to make a splash and even a return to the EuroLeague.
The plan didn’t pan out so far, with Joventut reaching the postseason for the last four seasons, but never making it past the semifinals, as happened last year.
All of which is why Tuesday’s eighthfinals road game against ratiopharm Ulm will be a huge test for Joventut.
Ulm has the home-court advantage, but both teams have the same regular season record (10-8) and on paper, Joventut might be the better team. Ulm lost several players who had led the team to last season’s German League title but found a gem in big man Trevion Williams, the EuroCup’s second-best player this season in terms of performance index rating. On the other hand, Tyler Cook is the newest finding of “La Penya” and seems to complement Tomic in the best possible way.
What makes things even more interesting is the fact that Spanish prospect Juan Nunez – a rival of Joventut from an early age, as a product of Real Madrid‘s junior teams – is among the key players of Ulm.
So despite Ulm’s recent rise and home-court advantage, one way or another the focus will be on Joventut as the eighthfinals open on Tuesday.
A proud club that won the EuroLeague in 1995 under coach Zeljko Obradovic, a talent factory with a glorious past and a constant pipeline of production, Joventut must rise to the present challenge in order to aim for an even more glorious future.
PHOTO CREDIT: BKT EuroCup